DO MORE OF WHAT YOU DO BEST By Karin Kirk
A
t morning lineup, what assignment do you hope for the most? Adventuresome kids? Aspiring freestylers? Big-mountain
explorers? We all have certain types of lessons that are a perfect fi t. Wouldn’t it be great if you could spend most of your time teaching your favorite topics to your favorite kinds of riders and sliders? If you look around your snowsports school, you can probably identify instructors who have done just that. I can think of several. Dave is a former college racer who carves pristine arcs and helps his clients do the same. Gretta skis in the backcountry every chance she gets, and she has a knack for helping people gain confi dence in tricky terrain and variable snow. Jessica majored in education, and of course she loves kids, but what’s even more apparent is how much kids love her. Each of these instructors has clearly identifi ed their own niche, and they have built careers around what they do best.
EXAMPLE SPECIALTIES
Q Children Q Seniors Q Women Q Adaptive Q Park/pipe/freestyle Q Gates (i.e., race orientation) and carving
Q Big mountain Q Biomechanical/technical expert
Q Equipment/tuning Q 'Lff HUHQW FXOWXUHV
nationalities, and languages
Q Specialty products and services, such as weeklong camps or video analysis
WHY SPECIALIZE? “Must be nice,” is something I hear fairly often as I head out the door to lead a half-day, guided ski tour of Bridger Bowl’s Ridge terrain. It is nice! T e best reason to specialize is so that you can spend more of your time doing your favorite things. Another advantage to specialization is that you can focus your training time and dollars. Most of us take a clinic or two each season anyway, why not invest that time into building depth instead of spreading it across several topics?
Taking a backcountry avalanche class is one example of building expertise toward a specialty.
Lastly, many snowsports schools off er higher pay rates for request
lessons. Becoming a specialist off ers you a better shot at building clientele and becoming known for your expertise. It’s one way to stand out from the crowd.
IDENTIFY YOUR NICHE A specialty is only viable when it’s practical for your location, terrain, and resort. Are there needs that aren’t being met? Are there things that you are especially good at that can benefi t your snowsports school? Try to work within existing programs, rather than trying to build something brand-new from scratch. It’s important to do some soul-searching about your chosen path. Why does that type of work call to you? Is it something that truly speaks to you, intrinsically? Or are you attracted to the extrinsic benefi ts like pay or status? While those are nice perks, they shouldn’t be your primary reasons for pursuing a specialty.
The best reason to specialize is so that you can spend more of your time doing your favorite things.
FIND TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES People become experts by bringing inherent abilities and traits to the table, by training and actively expanding their knowledge and skills, and by gaining real-world experience. Getting good at something is hard. Getting really good at something is even harder. But that’s exactly what you’ll need to do to turn your natural forte into a genuine career path. T e easiest place to start is with your own ski and ride school.
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Many schools off er training geared toward children, seniors, and adaptive lessons. Depending on your terrain, you may also be able to attend clinics to build skills in freestyle, bumps, or carving. Avail yourself to the most relevant training you can get at home. Next, look to your division. T ere you’ll fi nd indoor tech talks, biomechanics classes, and clinics for many types of populations and terrain. Plan ahead, and prioritize the clinics that are best matched to your specialty. When you attend clinics, bring your A-Game. Be prepared, bright-eyed, and ready to soak it all in. To really build depth, go after training and experiences beyond the usual off erings. Take a course in child development; go to a race camp; attend a backcountry avalanche class. Find courses that develop skills in ways that usual clinics don’t. Specialized training is
GRANT NAKAMURA
JORDY HENDRIKX
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